Page 12 of To Hades & Back
Before either of us could say anything, a server came over with a tray of wine glasses. Each of us took a glass. I took a sip then smiled. “This wine is great.”
Mrs. Copeland gave me a snarky smile. “Yes, we only drink the best. This wine was imported from Greece. Oh, isn’t that where your immigrant parents were from? They might have worked in the grape fields that made it. The Basil Sand’s line is exquisite.”
Jin’jer’s head snapped in my direction because she already knew what it was. Yes, my family’s wine line was exquisite. There were certain ones that weren’t sold outside of Greece. Those bottles cost anywhere from four to eight thousand dollars a bottle.
I took another sip of the wine. “When my mother approved this Cabernet Sauvignon, she raved about the dominant plum and black cherry flavor. From the taste of this one, you didn’t opt for one of our aging bottles. I don’t taste the hint of vanilla that tends to seep through with that selection. Those may have been out of your price range.”
The Copelands looked confused. Their eyes bounced between the glasses in their hands and me. “Your mother?” Mrs. Copeland asked.
With a prideful smile, Jin’jer cleared her throat. “Yes, Mother. See, Hades’s mother and father, Laverne and Kronos Basil, own the Basil Sand wine company. The Sand in the name comes from his mother’s maiden name, Sanders. They also own a few liquor and beer lines.”
I took a step closer to her parents. “See, Mrs. Copeland, do you remember when I told you that looks can be deceiving? I bet you never expected that the same man that you disrespectedbecause you thought he was beneath you, is the same man that could buy your life if he wanted to. There’s a difference between being wealthy and being rich. My immigrant parents, as you called them, are wealthy. They have ensured that their children benefited from the generational wealth that they have established from working hard. They’ve also instilled their work ethic in us so that we could establish our own generational wealth separate from theirs.”
I took another step directly in front of Mr. Copeland. “Since you didn’t like how I spoke to your wife a few minutes ago, I’m going to address this directly to you, man to man. Make sure when you speak on me and my woman, your daughter, that you put some respect on our fucking names. I don’t handle disrespect very well; therefore, understand that I am being very respectful right now. You and your wife have one more time to disrespect us, and you will experience what it is for me to be disrespectful. Mrs. Copeland, I will be sure to give my mother your compliments on her Cabernet Sauvignon line. She’ll be happy to hear it.”
An announcement came from the stage directing everyone to take their seats as dinner would start soon.Well, this might be awkward for them.Dinner was tasty. I had steak, and Jin’jer had the chicken. The Copelands were uncomfortable as hell. During dinner, multiple people went on stage to sing the praises of David Copeland. He sat there like a fat rat eating up everything that was said about him.
Halfway through the bullshit speeches, I noticed this waiter dude staring at Jin’jer. I saw him earlier in the night, but I didn’t think too much of his eyes on her because he served us our wine. He stood on the other side of the room, but his stare was on my woman.The fuck is he on?I made a note to keep my eyes on his ass. I would hate to have to release a bullet from my gun in Boston.
The emcee glanced down at our table. With a smile, she said, “Tonight, we are honored to have a special guest at her father’s sixtieth birthday party. Jin’jer, David and Evelyn’s daughter, has been away doing amazing work as a nurse with Doctors Without Borders, making them proud. Jin’jer, would you like to say anything?”Ah, shit.
Mrs. Copeland jumped out of her seat. “No!” The room fell silent. She gathered her decorum as she smoothed her gown. “No, Jin’jer doesn’t have anything to say.”
When I peeked at my baby, I knew this party was about to get a little more interesting. She stood up. “Mother, of course I want to say something about my father.”
I stood to pull her chair all the way out and escorted her to the stage to hold her hand while she climbed the stairs. She smiled at me from the podium. I gave her an assuring smile to encourage her to say whatever it was that she wanted to say. No one was sure what that would be. I didn’t care because I was on a fuck it up then leave vibe.
“Happy birthday, Father. It’s been over three years since we’ve spoken. Some would say that’s a long time, but I would say it’s not long enough,” she said with a titter. “I had to carve some time out of my schedule to be here tonight. Doctors Without Borders doesn’t keep me as busy as one would think since I’ve never worked there. I am a successful intensive neonatal nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
The whispers took over the room. Mr. and Mrs. Copeland looked mortified. Jin’jer cleared her throat. “If I had to describe my father with one word, it would be steadfast. That is something that we all can say about him because he is an unwavering man. When he made the decision to send me away to a reform school when I was thirteen, there was nothing or no one that could change his mind. What he says goes.
“One characteristic that my father passed down to me that I am grateful for is perseverance. Regardless of the odds being against me, I was determined to move toward my success. If you ever want to see if someone can make it on their own, take a page out of my parents’ book and turn your back on them. If that person still achieves their life goals, then you will know that nothing can or will stop them.” She gazed down toward her parents. “Thank you, David and Evelyn, for showing me that I was and am unstoppable.”
Jin’jer slightly bowed her head, stepped back from the podium, then walked in my direction. I took her hand and helped her down the steps. “I love you.” I froze to my own confession. I was not supposed to say that shit out loud.
With a warm, sincere smile, she responded. “I love you too. Thank you for being here with me.” She lifted herself on her tiptoes to kiss my lips. When we pulled away, she giggled. “We might want to leave now.”
“We just gonna fuck it up and leave?” I asked. When she shrugged her shoulders, I laughed. “I’m down with that.”
We graciously made our way toward the exit. All, and I do mean all eyes were on us. I bet Mrs. Copeland wished now that she took her daughter’s no to the invitation. Leave people alone when they asked you to. As we got closer to the exit, I saw the waiter dude by the door. My arm went around Jin’jer’s waist, and I pulled her to my other side so that I would be on the side closest to him. I wasn’t sure what his ass was on, but I had the bullets to knock him off of it.
He looked nervous, which put me on edge. Relief took over me when we walked out the door without incident. He stared as we walked by but didn’t say anything. Just as we got to the bottom of the stairs, a voice stopped us. “Excuse me, Jin’jer.”
We both spun around. Once I saw it was ole boy, I pulled Jin’jer behind me. She gripped the back of my tuxedo jacket. “What the fuck you on? You’ve been weird all night.”
He took a big step back before he lifted his hands. “Sorry, sorry! I’m not trying to be weird. I just wanted to ta-talk to her for a minute.”
“Um, do I know you?” Jin’jer asked from behind me. She slowly stepped to my side. My arm stayed up in a protective manner.
He shook his head vigorously. “I . . . I don’t think that you do. My name is Dorian Vinson. Um, not so long ago, I found out that you’re my mother.”The fuck did he just say.
I stood there frozen.What the fuck was this bullshit? Hades’s slitted eyes were on me. “I’m sorry, but you are not my son. I don’t have any children.”
This was fucking crazy. Dorian, or whatever his name was, looked at me with confusion. “Um, my mom, my adoptive mom told me that you are my real mother. I’m sixteen years old soon to be seventeen.”
Hades’s head tilted. “If you’re sixteen, then you’re saying that she had you at what, fourteen? Is that what you’re saying? I would think that she remembered having a baby at fourteen.”
“Um, yeah, well, my mom said that I was released to the state because she didn’t want to be a teen mother. My mama was a foster parent, and she adopted me when I was four,” he said.
